There Can't Be Cy of Relief as Glavine Edges Hoffman

There Can’t Be Cy of Relief as Glavine Edges Hoffman

By ROSS NEWHAN

Nov. 18, 1998 12 AM PT

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Tom Glavine, the Atlanta Brave left-hander, won the National League’s Cy Young Award on Tuesday, although San Diego Padre closer Trevor Hoffman got the most first-place votes from a 32-member committee of the Baseball Writers Assn. of America. Glavine, who also won the award in 1991, is the first winner not to receive the most first-place votes.

“[The balloting] goes to show that a lot of guys had great years and deserved consideration,” Glavine said on a conference call. “I’m not concerned with how many votes I got or how many first-place votes I didn’t get. I’m proud to have won. I had a burning desire to win again to prove that the first time wasn’t a fluke.”

One of baseball’s most consistent pitchers and winners in the ‘90s, Glavine had a 20-6 record. He led the league in wins and was tied for third with a 2.47 earned-run average. Hoffman had one of the most dominating relief seasons ever, converting 53 or 54 save chances with a 1.48 ERA.

However, there has long been a debate whether a deserving relief pitcher should receive recognition over a deserving starter. Only four relief pitchers have won the NL award, none since 1987.

“If that year wasn’t good enough, I don’t see a relief pitcher ever winning,” Hoffman told the North County Times in Escondido after it was announced that six voters did not include him among the three pitchers on their ballot.

He received 88 points based on 13 first-place votes, five seconds and eight thirds.

Glavine, who was not named on three ballots, received 11 first-place votes, 13 seconds and five thirds for 99 points.

San Diego starter Kevin Brown, whose candidacy might have affected that of teammate Hoffman and vice versa, finished third with 76 points based on eight firsts, eight seconds and 12 thirds. Glavine’s Atlanta teammates, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, who was bidding for a fifth Cy Young, tied for fourth with 10 points.

“I’ve always believed that the award should go to the pitcher who has a clear-cut edge, regardless of whether he’s a starter or reliever,” Glavine said. “Trevor had a great year, as did Kevin Brown and John Smoltz and Greg Maddux. In fact, I thought Greg still had the clear-cut lead in August, but he didn’t pitch up to what people consider to be Maddux levels over the last six weeks, and that kind of opened the door for me.”

Maddux appeared to have his fifth award wrapped up at the All-Star break with a 12-2 record and 1.54 ERA. But he struggled some down the stretch, going 6-7 with an uncharacteristic 3.18 ERA.

He finished 18-9 with an NL-leading ERA of 2.22, but Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays became the only pitcher to win the award five times when he received the American League honor on Monday.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Glavine said of Clemens’ accomplishment. “Here I’m feeling pretty good about winning two, and he’s won five and Greg has won four.

“I think we lose sight sometimes that those two guys are as good as it gets--maybe in the history of the game.”

Between Maddux (who won his first Cy Young with the Chicago Cubs), Glavine and Smoltz, the Braves have won six of the last eight, and Glavine said: “It’s great to be able to bring it back to the organization after Pedro Martinez won last year. I don’t think we have a competition about winning the Cy Young, but I do think we each challenge ourselves to pitch as well as the other guys in the rotation.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

1998 CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER

Tom Glavine

Atlanta Braves

NL Cy Young Voting

Voting awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

1998 Statistics

IP: 229 1/3

BB: 74

K’s: 157

W-L: 20-6